A corporal work of mercy.

A corporal work of mercy.
Click on photo for this corporal work of mercy!

Monday, 10 June 2013

Bishops such as Danneels take the lead marching into Hell

St. Charles Lwanga did not die in vain; though given the state of the Church and a darkened intellect, one might wonder. Sandro Magister reports today of the small but growing group of Cardinals and others in the Church succumbing to the notion of a quasi-marriage, -- same-sex civil unions.

Sin, particularly sexual sin dulls the intellect. Sodomy, fornication between consenting persons, pornography and masturbation; yes, even chemical and mechanical contraception and sterilisation, all are the same; they all come from the same place, they all lead to the same place. Let's face it, nobody hates the Church for its teachings on helping the poor, but to teach that the insertion of one male part into another, females doing to one another what is against nature, heterosexual intercourse and sexual behaviour behind unmarried persons, self-abuse and the slavery and exploitation of pornography, well the Church needs to shut up then and mind its business or be relegated to a scornful abuse by the secular world.

Even the Catholic world. How many of our bishops and so-called "leaders" in education have fallen for the sodomic notion of gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools disguised as clubs to prevent bullying as if bullying is something akin to Catholics, while our emasculated Cardinals and Bishops sits by and do nothing. No, I am wrong, their "nothing" is consent as silence always is and in fact, one wonders if they are complicit in this scandal for other reasons.

As Magister points out, it was only a decade ago under Blessed John Paul II and the Ratzinger lead CDF that this notion was condemned. What has changed then? Perhaps, they are just succumbing to the pressure of the secular world and think that this is the social-justice cause-celebre which is now the work of the Church or perhaps, there is even a more insidious reason. Perhaps the recent goings-on in Scotland give us a clue.

Magister writes:

One faithful mirror of this new course are the declarations released to the press by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, on the eve of his eightieth birthday on June 4.
The Belgian cardinal - who without hypocrisy did not conceal his disappointment at the election of Benedict XVI at the conclave of 2005, and this year was one of the main electors of Pope Francis - stated that the Church “has never opposed the fact that there should exist a sort of 'marriage' between homosexuals, but one therefore speaks of a 'sort of' marriage, not of true marriage between a man and a woman, therefore another word must be found for the dictionary.”
And he concluded:
“About the fact that this should be legal, that it should be made legitimate through a law, about this the Church has nothing to say.”
The Belgian newspaper "Le Soir," in reporting the words of Danneels, added that “the position of the cardinal is shared by Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard," his successor as archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. The newspaper does not provide the evidence for this agreement. But there is no doubt that Danneels has effectively said, with the frankness that distinguishes him, what other cardinals and prelates have said in recent months.
The media, in fact, have recently reported favorable words on the legal recognition of homosexual unions on the part of at least four leading representatives of the hierarchy of the Church:
- Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the pontifical committee for Eucharistic congresses and formal master of papal ceremonies;
- Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the pontifical council for the family, who afterward corrected himself;
- Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna;
- Colombian Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez, archbishop of Bogotà, this latter forced to make a rapid retraction before he received the cardinal's biretta in November of 2012.
Last April 24 the “Vatican spokesman,” Fr. Federico Lombardi, also spoke out on the matter when asked about the definitive parliamentary approval on the part of the French national assembly for “gay marriage,” responding that one must “clearly emphasize that marriage between a man and a woman is a specific and fundamental institution in the history of humanity. This does not change the fact that there could be some recognition of other forms of union between two persons.”

No, I think it is something more.

I think that they all have a reason and it can be found in that dossier -- every cursed one of them! 

Are those listed above part of the sodomite mafia? Where is the dossier? 

It has been over 100 days, Our Holy Father speaks wonderful words, he now needs to act!

St. Charles Lwanga and all you Ugandan Martyrs, who choose the flames of death to give you new life in Christ rather than the sodomic desires of a king who would have preserved your life in this world but led you to the eternal fires; pray for us, pray for the Church!

Thursday, 6 June 2013

Episcopal Careerism

Vatican Diary / The scourge of divorce between bishop and diocese


Pope Francis blasts career ambitions. Including that of wanting to go from one episcopal see to another and then to another still. But the proposal to bind a bishop indissolubly to his diocese has so far fallen into the void. The résumés of the cardinals are proof of this

by Sandro Magister


VATICAN CITY, June 6, 2013 – One of the recurrent themes in the preaching of pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the warning against ecclesiastical careerism. Over and over, both in the homilies at the morning Masses at Saint Martha's and in those delivered on solemn occasions, the pontiff who has come “from the ends of the earth” denounces an ancient temptation, which in effect dates back to the times of Jesus, when the apostles, as the Gospels recount, battled among themselves over who was the greatest.
Read the rest here.

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

What are you doing to protect your Mother?





And more from this Tim Haines at www.thoughtsandperceptions.com

On "Eucharistic Minsters"...

On “Eucharistic Ministers”


Before I can really get into why I have a problem with “Eucharistic Ministers”, I thought I should first give some definition to what we’re talking about here.
Nowhere in Canon Law will you find the term “Eucharistic Minister”. The actual term used in the Code of Canon Law is “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion”. The word “extraordinary” should jump out at you. As the word implies, that what we understand as “Eucharistic Ministers” are supposed to be exceptions to the rule (or exceptions to the “ordinary”. The “ordinary” minister of Holy Communion is a cleric (Bishop, Priest, Deacon). That is who is supposed to be administering Communion.
The question as to whether or not a layperson can assist in the distribution of Holy Communion would require a long, drawn out explanation of Canon Law. So what I’ll do is sum it up briefly, as it pertains to the normal experience of Sacred Liturgy.
1. If priests or deacons are present, and able (they aren’t ill, they can stand and walk) a priest or deacon is supposed to distribute Holy Communion. Period.
2. In EXCEPTIONAL circumstances a layperson may be designated to temporarily assist the ordinary minister(s). Those exceptional cases include:
a. The priest is not available
b. The priest is physically unable to distribute communion (sick, etc)
c. There are SOO MANY people at mass that it would take too long to distribute communion to everyone (Of course, this one is entirely subjective, which is why it’s so over-played in the modern Church. How long is “too long”?. Is 20 minutes that much longer than 10 minutes? Is the Eucharist worthy of 10 extra minutes of our time at mass? Is there another priest sitting around in the rectory? Why isn’t he helping to distribute communion? Are there Deacons associated with the Parish? Why aren’t they asked to show up at least to distribute communion?).
The use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion nowadays though has become abusive. Everyone uses them, at every mass, no matter how many priests are available to distribute communion, and no matter how many, or how few people are receiving communion during that mass. As this abuse falls under the subjective umbrella of Condition C (listed above) I would suggest we all lean in the direction of caution (and reverence) and not support what may be an abuse of the Canonical permission to use EMHCs.
But there are also spiritual reasons why I have a problem with EMHCs. Apart from the fact that they’re overused, I believe using extraordinary ministers at all takes the Eucharist experiecnce away from the realm of the sacred, and reduces it to the realm of the common. This itself is canonically, and theologically unsettling. The mass is—by order of rule rather than opinion—supposed to be the highest prayer of the Church, providing the senses and intellects of the faithful with an extraordinary experience. That’s Church teaching, not just my opinion. The mass is supposed to provide an environment which, in EVERY WAY, removes the faithful from the realm of the common, and elevates them to a more sacred. A solemn environment. It’s why everything involved with, or surrounding the mass is so majestic (or WAS before we ruined it all). When children grow up seeing “Bobby from down the street” handing out communion, what is that child learning about the Eucharist? He or she is learning that there’s nothing special or distinctive about it. When John or Jane (adult Catholics) see Bobby handing out communion, how are they eventually conditioned to regard the Eucharist? There are reasons why half the Church fails to recognize that the Eucharist is the TURE body and blood of Christ. We teach them that it’s just bread and wine. We teach them this because ordinary people are handing it out. We stand up to receive it (like we stand up for every other thing we do in our lives), we receive it in our hands (like we handle everything else in our lives). There is nothing whatsoever exceptional about the Eucharist experience. It’s no wonder people have lost respect and reverence for it. It’s not distinctive because it’s just ordinary people handling it out. There’s nothing exceptional about the Eucharist….because there’s nothing exceptional about how it’s distributed or how it’s received. See what I mean?
I think extraordinary ministers are over used. Way over used. It’s my personal preference not to see others supporting what I believe to be contributing to the decay of regard the faithful have for the Eucharist.
 

Friday, 24 May 2013

Father Paul Nicholson and the New Evangelisation

May our Blessed LORD Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother bless this wonderful priest and friend. Father Paul Nicholson, Mission Preacher for New Evangelisation! Find out more about Father's work at www.fatherpaulnicholson.com


The Vox and the future Mrs. Vox are so grateful to this priest and friend for everything that he has done for us. On June 15, he will preside at the Missa Solemnis pro Sponso et Sponsa at St. Patrick's Kinkora.

He has been a great inspiration and spiritual guide to the two of us and we congratulate and pray for him as he embarks on this new Apostolate



Saturday, 18 May 2013

"He was alive!"

When I first viewed this profoundly distressing interview the first thing that struck after the deep look of guilt and regret on their faces was that the two on each side were obviously Hispanic, confirmed a few moments later when their names appeared. These were presumably Catholic women. What happened to them and to the main spokeswoman that they could do such things to other women and to the babies. You can see they were brainwashed and still partly in denial; every few times it slips through, "baby" rather than the usual "fetus" reference.

Gosnell's trial is going to cause more of these outings and very soon. Women working in these clinics now are coming to realize that they are accomplices to murder.

It is worthy to remember that the President of the United States of America supports these murders. It is recorded fact that he stood against the implementation of laws to protect babies born alive as a result of what is incorrectly called, "a botched abortion." Make no mistake, there is nothing botched about the baby being born alive through forced labour at these late weeks.

Barack Hussein Obama has blood on his hands. So does Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Joseph Clark, Brian Mulroney,Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper in Canada, especially with all except Prime Minister Harper and the easily forgotten Campbell being Catholic.

Many of us have blood on our hands by our votes, by our direct action and by our inaction.

This video is disturbing, it is moving, but it must be watched. More; it must be spread around. America, Canada, the world must see this, must listen.

This crime will not end until people change; or until God has had enough and can no longer hold back His hand.


Saturday, 11 May 2013

Of Rad-Trads and Mad Modernists

There are a few bloggers some well known, (with no link or reference as every hit puts dollars in his pocket) and some less so, who have taken liberty recently and used words such as "rad-trad" and other derogatory terms to describe those who attend and promote the Roman Rite in its traditional form. The authors of these intellectually shallow pieces continue to do a disservice to the Church and for unprovoked reasons take it upon themselves to tear more the garment of Christ and slap in the face those who wish to worship in the traditional Catholic manner.

One can expect this kind of ignorance from the blogosphere and ignore it; when it comes from the pulpit, that is quite another matter.

In the growing condo area of Sheppard Avenue in Toronto is the parish of St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin. Established in the new suburb of Willowdale in the 1950's, a perfectly good church was demolished when the Passionist Fathers there sold the land around the church for millions of dollars to a Toronto developer who built them an eco-Church that looks more like a library or theatre than a house dedicated to the glory and worship of the Triune God unless of course your god is a dead tree. 



The Pastor, Father Paul Cusack, C.P., is responsible for the homily last Sunday which is linked here and reprinted below.

If I were to give this sermon a title it would be ‘God spare us from the righteous.’ I’ve been reading a couple of novels recently about the time of Cromwell and Thomas More and Henry the 8th. They were harsh and cruel times in which to live. If you didn’t toe the line with whoever had religious authority at the time and stuck to your convictions you were either hanged or burned at the stake. You had Protestants killing Catholics and Catholics killing Protestants and both of them killing the Anabaptists all in the name of true religion. The intolerance found in the histories of world religions is amazing, both Christian and non- Christian. Everyone thought their way was the only way and any other way was to be mercilessly stamped out. The same is true in our own times. Religious fanaticism is alive and well in our day. There are people who are willing to destroy the lives of others convinced they are doing God’s will, convinced they are giving God glory.
We find this intolerance in the first reading of today’s Mass. We hear of Jewish Christians who basically resented the fact that the Gentiles, the non-Jews had received the word of God and that God’s spirit was working within them. They were convinced that for these Gentiles to be ‘real’ Christians they had to be circumcised and follow the Law. ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses you cannot be saved.’ But the fact of the matter was circumcision was a ritual of initiation into the Jewish people as the people of God but it was not a criteria for salvation.
For Paul and Barnabas a person’s salvation, a person’s relationship with God was sealed by the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. To settle this controversy Paul and Barnabas went to the church in Jerusalem for guidance. We read of the decision of the whole church, ‘it seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials – they abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, the non-consumption of blood, the meat of strangled animals and they were to avoid illicit sexual unions.’
Those who made these decisions hoped this would bring peace to the valley but it didn't  Paul still had troubles in the many churches he founded over this whole issue of circumcision. Paul always insisted on what is of first importance, ‘a truth that he himself received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.’ St. Peter would come to a similar insight when he wrote, ‘the truth I have come to realize is this, that any person of any nationality who does what is right is acceptable to God.’
In our long history as church we've always been afflicted by those who make it their business to decide who is or who is not a member of the church. They take it upon themselves to decide who is the ‘real Catholic.’ Someone once wrote, “One of the most seductive temptations of the believer is to identify the will of God with the will of the believer, and not the other way around. God’s will is squeezed into patriotism, leftism, capitalism, feminism, hierarchy, civil law, financial success, ecclesiastical tradition. In extreme cases, the supposed will of God can be harnessed to justify leaving a spouse, breaking a promise, even killing those who do not believe as they believe.” People have and are using religion to justify the domination or exclusion of women, the exploitation of the poor and even slavery.
We have good Catholics questioning the right of other Catholics to receive communion because they don’t agree with some of the church’s discipline. Some would put us back to the Latin Mass, limit the role of women in the church, object to the use of inclusive language all in the name of true religion.
We all should keep this in mind, people who push their way forward to rebuke the Christian practices of others need to be careful how they speak for God and what kind of God they are witnessing to by what they say. We might think twice before we set ourselves up as a mindless meddlesome officious busybody for the Lord.
Jesus always respected and accepted all those who came into his life, be they friend or foe. It is Jesus and his word that we ought first and always to remember, love one another as I have loved you.
We are all good people and as good people we are to accept and respect the good will and faith of others, whether they be of our faith or of another tradition. As St. Paul tells us, say only the good things people need to hear, things that will really help then. Then we will be building up the body of Christ, the church.

Indeed, "spare us from the righteous" but, shouldn't it be Father, the "self-righteous?"

Where did this come from; this straw man. Why the insult to the "Latin Mass?" I know of no organisation contemplating the celebration of the ancient use in this monstrosity of a building. I know for a fact that Una Voce Toronto has never, nor would ever do so. Why does Father Cusack find it necessary to take a shot from the pulpit and publicly to those of us who while often working and worshiping in the new Rite also serve and may even prefer the former?

Frankly, his whole argument against those questioning the debate over circumcision was ignored when he used their example of narrow mindedness, ignorance and bias towards those who attend the Latin Mass and then exhibits it himself.


The Missal of 1962 was "never abrogated" except by priests and bishops of a spiteful and angry mind-set such as Father Cusack. The fact is, the first language of the First, Second and Third Edition of the revised Roman Missal is Latin. In an interview with Father, he explained that he feels that the "Latin Mass is going backward." Yet, he offered no defense or reason for his unjustified and critical commentary to the faithful in the pew at St. Gabriel as he filled their unsuspecting heads with a prejudiced bias.


The fact that the homily exists online gives those of us a rightful opportunity to challenge it. It is not Christ-like or proper for any priest to stand in the pulpit and cast
 aspersion upon a Rite of the Church. 

There is much else to tackle in the homily; particularly in the light of Kermit Gosnell and Ariel Castro, one can certainly question Father that we are somehow "all good people".

When asked about the millions of dollars for the catholic land sold to a private developer, Father responded, "what concern is that of yours?"


Indeed Father, and as for those of us who embrace both Forms of the Roman Rite "what concern is that to you?"

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Catholic Chapter House - where trusting in God takes on a whole new meaning


Vox is very happy to have found this new promotional video from Dave and Teresa Gilbert. and to lend support to their business. After presenting already Michael Voris and Scott Hahn, Peter Kreeft is next in Toronto. Good luck and God bless our friends at Catholic Chapter House.

Visit them by clicking on the logo below and finding out more.

Magento Commerce


Monday, 29 April 2013

The prophetic words of Blessed Pius XII

A worthy ponder:


   

     "I am worried by the Blessed Virgin's messages to Lucy of Fatima. This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in her liturgy, Her theology and Her soul. ... I hear all around me innovators who wish to dismantle the Sacred Chapel, destroy  the universal flame of the Church, reject Her ornaments and make Her feel remorse for Her historical past.
     "A day will come when the civilized world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them. Like Mary Magdalene, weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, "Where have they taken him?"

Roche, Mgr Georges and Philippe Saint-Germain, Philippe, Pie XII devant l’Histoire; p 52-53  

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Prayer and dignity in the face of evil


While one Archbishop (Piero Marini) speaks about same-sex civil unions as a good thing another speaks the truth and is mocked as was Our Lord. God bless Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard of Mechelen-Brussels.

Photos from De Standaard:



Bishop Léonard was targeted specifically because of his views. In an April 2007 interview for the weekly Télé Moustique, he was asked about his position on homosexuality and described homosexual behaviour as “abnormal”: "The same as Freud: it is an imperfectly developed stage of human sexuality which contradicts its inner logic. Homosexuals have encountered a blockage in their normal psychological development, rendering them abnormal. I know that in a few years, I will risk prison by saying this, but that could offer me a vacation." Scantily clad activists of feminist group Femen invaded a conference at a university in Brussels. During the act, demonstrators threw water on the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Andre-Joseph Leonard. The priest did not react and avoided looking at the activists. The protest was against homophobia, according to international agencies. At the end of the demonstration, the archbishop kissed a picture of the Virgin Mary to leave the room. Born in Ukraine and with subsidiaries in several countries (including Brazil and nations with a Muslim majority), the Femen often campaigning for the rights of women and minorities. One of their banners is the defense of gay marriage.




At the end of it, the Archbishop kissed a statue of Our Blessed Mother!

"In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph!"

Monday, 22 April 2013

Father Despard and the crisis in Scotland


It's only two months since Scotland's only Cardinal resigned and recused himself from the Conclave which elected Pope Francis. The Cardinal, whilst rector of a seminary, engaged in inappropriate sexual actions with seminarians; his picture still appears on the diocese web page, and with children!

The homosexual clergy crisis is boiling to the surface in Scotland since the release of a book by Father Despard. In retaliation, some are trying now to turn the tables on him. For more information, please refer to Toronto Catholic Witness. Montfort comes from the Motherwell Diocese and has contacts there confirming the facts and they have been doing incredible work documenting the entire situation.


A Scotsman speaks: When is the Scottish Hierarchy going to tell the truth about the "gay mafia" and stop the coverup?

As a Catholic Scot from Motherwell, I am deeply grieved about the moral crimes committed by priests and members of the hierarchy. I am profoundly concerned aboutFr. Matthew Despard and the need for us to continue to support him. Let us not lower our guard, nor think the fight is over, just because we have heard that the diocesan officials are presently backing off from suspending him. Do we really think that - in the long term - they are going to let him out of their sights? However, suspension involves serous canonical reasons (e.g. a priest violating the sixth commandment, such as Fr. Paul Milarvie's homosexual incident, would constitute grounds for suspension).  As such, Motherwell knows full well that any suspension of Fr. Despard would invariably lead to a complete investigation into the ongoing sexual depravity amongst the clergy, and the ongoing coverup and denial that evil is afoot. Motherwell may decide to try to silence and isolate Fr. Despard. If so, let another brave priest come forward, may the laity come forward to expose this evil! 


Read the rest there.

Sunday, 21 April 2013

The "other" Marini; slanders Benedict XVI and promotes homosexuality



This man is Piero Marini and he is an Archbishop responsible for Eucharistic Congresses. He was Master of Ceremonies for nearly two decades to Pope John Paul II and a disciple of Annibale Bugnini and responsible for some of the worst excesses of the inane liturgical experimentation of the late Pope's papacy. Now, in an interview with John Allen, he has the temerity to criticize Benedict XVI for living around "paintings and gold." Did not John Paul II live around the same "paintings and gold?" Where was his criticism then? Why did he not say something in the first two years that he was Master of Ceremonies to Pope Benedict XVI or was he himself hypocritically enjoying the art and gold?
Pope John Paul II and Father Marcial Maciel

Piero Marini has the temerity to speak about the sexual abuse crisis; yet he was right there when the homosexual/bisexual, abusive Maciel came to numerous times to Rome.

What is it about homosexuality that has darkened these supposed great minds. The word itself is barely 150 years old having first appeared in 1869; up until then it was called what it was, sodomy and it was a sinful behaviour, not another gender or an orientation. Up until the early 1970's it was considered to be a psychiatric disorder. The Church still does and will always consider its action, "intrinsically disordered." Yet, here we have another prelate promoting its acceptance. While I cannot speak for all countries, if two people wish to enter into a relationship where assets or hospital visitation access or inheritance is desired, these already exist. Powers of Attorney for finances or personal care are part of our legislative system; trusts, inheritance  wills and so on; so-called same-sex marriage or as promoted by Marini "civil-unions" are not, were not necessary, the laws already exist. This is about the destruction of the family, the bedrock of a stable society.

That a prelate seems so overly occupied with this certainly raises more than a few questions.

It makes one wonder just what was in that dossier prepared by the three Cardinals for the new Holy Father under the command of our Emeritus Pontiff.

Yes, it truly makes one wonder.

This Marini is 70 years old. 

Biology will fix things soon enough. 

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Archbishop of Westminster: "bloggers not Catholic."


It appears that the Archbishop of Westminster, when not offering flowers to a Hindu deities, has been taking cues from the President of the Internet.  


"Pope Francis understands this in practical terms. He has already identified two kinds of behaviour that destroy love in the Church. They are complaining and gossiping. He is a practical man. He knows that we live in a society in which complaining and gossip is a standard fare. They sell newspapers and attract us to blogs because we love hear complaints and to read gossip. 

But Pope Francis is clear: they should have no place in the Church."


Rather "self-referential" and "clerical" methinks; or am I taking it out of context? Does he mean secular newspapers and blogs or is he referring to Catholics who blog on catholic issues?

If this Archbishop and his Episcopal colleagues in your town and mine were doing their jobs, the little people would not have to complain, but complaining is not necessarily gossip. The Archbishop seems to desire a return to the day when the laity did not question what these leaders of the Church of Christ Catholic were doing, even when what they were doing amounts to liturgical abuse, patrimonial iconoclasm and the child abuse or the hiding of pederasts. 

Is the Archbishop now not "complaining and gossiping" about Catholics who blog to the point where he would exclaim that we "should have no place in the Church?" Is he taking the Holy Father out of context?

Perhaps the good Archbishop needs to pay particular attention to the pederasts in the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and the re-evangelisation of lapsed-Catholics rather than take the words of the Holy Father out of context and twisting them to serve an agenda that is hardly becoming of his Office.


Tuesday, 16 April 2013

A blessed day for Benedict XVI


A very happy 86th birthday to our wonderful Pontiff Emeritus, Benedict XVI


May our good Lord bless you, console you and be close to you.

Thank you for all you have done for us.



AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Monday, 15 April 2013

Concerts in Toronto's Catholic Churches

View from 4:50




Angelica and the Three Tenors at St. Michael's Cathedral
Between this blog and Toronto Catholic Witness the last week has been dedicated to exposing the abuse of our sacred spaces -- our sanctuaries dedicated to the worship of God turned into "venues" and "facilities" to say nothing of cabarets and concerts halls to pagan goddesses.

To be brief, based on the instructions of St. Pius X, Pope Pius XI, Ven. Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments issued a Protocol, 1251/87, on the matter of concerts in churches.


Essentially, the Blessed Sacrament must be in repose in a chapel, there must be no ticket - only a voluntary collection may be taken, the music must be sacred and there must be no performers in the sanctuary nor may the altar, ambo or chair be used for anything. For more details or to read the entire document it can be found at Adoremus.

In about thirty minutes, I as able to put a list together of dozens of concerts including the Angelica, the Three Tenors, The Priests, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Tallis Choir, the Victoria Scholars, Toronto Chamber Choir and many others. All were commercial ventures and some with ticket prices of up to $50. Some were all sacred music and some a mixture of sacred and secular. All were in the sanctuaries. In the case of St. Paul's Baslica on 96.3FM and Salt + Light, it was referred to as a "great facility." St. Patrick's on McCaul Street is referred to as a venue. A document was sent to the Chancery Office for Spiritual Affairs today listing over a dozen concerts, some of a commercial nature listed on the Archdiocese of Toronto's own web page and even in the Catholic Register newspaper.

In consultation with those at Toronto Catholic Witness, we have decided not to let this matter rest until such time as a clearly defined policy in accord with the Protocol is restored and articulated for public consumption.

It seems that the light on this matter is starting to pay off as is being reported by Barona on Witness:


Monday, April 15, 2013


BREAKING NEWS: Archdiocese of Toronto will be re-issuing Policy on Concerts in Churches

The Archdiocese of Toronto will be re-issuing and enforcing the Policy on Concerts in Churches by the late Cardinal Ambrozic. The Policy was never abrogated.  My inside source informed me that all parishes will be formally notified next week; with publication of the document on the Archdiocese's website to follow soon after. 

This re-issuance was deemed necessary after ongoing and prolonged violation of norms by local pastors that was being brought to the notice of the Archbishop's Office. 

More to follow after the formal publication.

Saturday, 13 April 2013

Leslie Scrivener and the Toronto Star: Unaccountable anti-Catholic bigots



Sculptor Timothy Schmalz has created a bronze sculpture called Jesus the Homeless outside Regis College, the Jesuit college at U of T.
A purported sculpture of Our Lord and Saviour
As noted previously, reading the quickly declining Toronto Star is not something I engage in. I depend upon friends bringing to my attention articles that need to be challenged. This was the case in the attack a few weeks ago on a Toronto area priest for teaching the Catholic faith and the facts of sin and the need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation - confession of our sins. The author of the poisoned pen article was Leslie Scrivener. 

A few days ago, I wrote about what seems to be an ongoing obsession for this journalist. Can there be any doubt with this article and headline that not only Leslie Scrivener but the Toronto Star is obsessed with the Catholic Church? Can there be any more evidence of a clear Catholic hating agenda when a story is manufactured to smear the Church out of what is in reality, a non-story? I will not link to the article, as I will not provide any hits to Hell's Bible of Toronto. 

An artist has created a sculpture, allegedly of a homeless Jesus sleeping on park bench. Being rejected by St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York; placing it at St. Michael's Cathedral (and sometime Cabaret), was wisely, also rejected. According to diocesan officials a place was offered at St. Augustine's Seminary but that was refused by the artist as nobody would see it. It has now found a place at a Catholic institution, the Jesuit's Regis College at the University of Toronto.
The Immaculate Conception?

Frankly, if anyone has seen the Immaculate Conception Egg at St. Paul's Basilica one would be forced to think twice about these artists and their interpretation of that which is Catholic. We don't need any more ugliness or abstract interpretations of faith. Beauty in music and the visual arts, poetry and architecture, as examples, are reflections of the Divine. Ugliness, as given example here in these two instances, does not.

Of course it is the big, bad Catholic Church that won't put up the art as a sign of the problem of homelessness. The good people at St. Michael's Cathedral (when not organising cabarets) do wonderful work in the real world of homelessness with an Out of the Cold program. They don't need an ugly sculpture allegedly of Our Lord to prove it. They do the work day in and day out with this program and an incredibly active St. Vincent de Paul Society. Relief of suffering is done by work not be tokens.

Why is Leslie Scrivener and the anti-Catholic bigoted Toronto Star trying to lecture Catholics and the Church on charity? 

Who are they to tell any parish or anyone for that matter what is art or what they should or should not put on their property.

Let her go to the Sisters of Charity on Dunn Avenue or St. Francis' Table on Queen Street or the St.Vincent de Paul Society of any parish to see the daily work that Catholics undertake. 
Who does this Scrivener think built the first hospitals in Toronto? Does she think it was those of the family compact? I don't need to defend here the truth of the charity done each and every day by Catholics in this world and 2000 years of the greatest force for good in human history; but I do and you do need to defend the Church against these blatant attacks which border on a psychological obsession and neurosis.

This is the fifth article which takes a position against the Church or one which promotes the cause of dissenters to the faith since the beginning of March 2013. Repeated requests for comments from Scrivener have gone unanswered. The other affect of this kind of hateful, manufactured anti-Catholic trash is to set off the usual bile in the combox -- those that hate the Church are indeed "Legion!" Let this be a lesson to those communication "experts" and others at the Chancery on who the real enemy happens to be.

Lest anyone underestimate their hatred and this obsession pay attention to what you are about to read. Vox has witnessed direct evidence with confirmation from two sources of repute that there is more to come, much more.

The Toronto Star is working on something that will be used in an attempt to break the Catholic Church in Toronto and everything that goes along with it. Their goal is to cause an unprecedented scandal and empty the pews in an attempt to cripple the Church in Toronto costing potential millions of dollars and to go so far as to bring about the destruction of the rights of Catholics to publicly-funded education and more. 

It is not going to be pretty.



Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Gaia and Antiochus both are welcome in the Archdiocese of Toronto!


Update: Confirmed from the concert organiser. "All details of the concert were discussed with (          ), the lady in charge of the events at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Posters of the event were dropped off at the Archdiocese in Toronto at 1155 Yonge Street, where they were further distributed to Catholic Churches across the GTA."

Clearly, this took place with the full knowledge of someone at the Chancery office, not just the Cathedral.


Again, what happened to the policy on concerts in churches under the late Cardinal Ambrozic which was in accord with the norms issued by the CDWDS?



Angelica's sensual performance in St. Michael's Cathedral
House of God turned into a cabaret

Look at what they've done to the Temple of God

Please excuse your writer for being a year or two behind the time but this is what they hope for. You understand right?; they want these things to pass under the radar (May 2011). Then one day, someone organises a concert in a Catholic Church with a composition of the Divine Liturgy dedicated to a pagan goddess known as Gaia and dares to call it a Mass and it is reported. Some other people read it make recollection of other events. I've now asked a third time for the policy of the Archdiocese of Toronto on concerts in churches.  We had one once under Cardinal Ambrozic.

Msgr. Ronan is not amused
What you see above and below is so far from what is permitted in a Church and is nothing less than a scandal. This is a desecration of the sanctuary for commercial purposes. No fee or donation to the Cathedral can justify such a use of this sacred space. A lounge singer concert (and I mean lounge singer in the most positive of ways) in a strapless dress, singing profane music in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The signing of autographs and selling of (non-religious) items in the forecourt. A poster showing her bare midriff, close ups of her body during the concert -- all of this in front of the Altar of Sacrifice! 

The Rector of St. Michael's Cathedral, Father Michael Busch has shown a failure of stewardship and a complete disregard for the sanctity of this place and the Holy of Holies. He should be ashamed of his dereliction in this regard; debasing this House of God for money!

Is it any wonder why people find refuge in the SSPX? 

Is there not something fundamentally wrong with the Church and the administration of a diocese when this is allowed to happen?

Don't we take our hats off in Church? 
The Cardinal Archbishop of Toronto, Thomas Collins lives at the Bishop's Palace attached to the Cathedral where this desecration occurred. Your Eminence this is wrong, we are owed an explanation. What are you going to do about this? What are you going to do to ensure that this kind of desecration in our churches is going to stop? What about reparation to God?

No artist has a right to desecrate the Cathedral with a secular, commercial performance in a sacred space set apart for the worship of God. 

The dress is beautiful, the woman is obviously talented and fully suitable to Roy Thomson Hall, but not here, not in the Cathedral of Toronto.  Concerts of this type are simply not to be held in churches, the Vatican Congregation responsible has already stated it. 


The quote below is from a composition about Jesus sung and available in the authorised links below.


"nobody's wrong, and nobody's right, we're all givers of light... you just be true, be truthful to yourself, and lead as you really are..."


The "Dictatorship of Relativism" sung loud and proud in St. Michael's Cathedral Cabaret; but I can tell you with every certainty; this is not what Jesus would say.

I ask you, could Antiochus have done worse?

See also:


http://torontocatholicwitness.blogspot.ca/2013/04/abomination-in-sanctuary-st-michaels.html


http://torontocatholicwitness.blogspot.ca/2013/04/abomination-of-desolation-st-michaels.html


Leslie Scrivener's war on the Catholic Church in Toronto


Leslie ScrivenerLeslie Scrivener is a reporter with the Toronto Star, Canada's version of Hell's Bible (a.k.a., The New York Times). Has there ever been an article by Scrivener or the Star in living memory that dealt honestly with the faith? Do they ever interview anyone other than dissenters?

Let's just take a little look; but sorry no links, I won't be responsible for any more hits than necessary to this failing media broadsheet.

April 8, 2013 
Reformist priest refused permission to speak to Toronto-area educators on Catholic property. He's now speaking at Sheridan College 

Well Leslie, the Archdiocese of Toronto implemented a protocol recently that all speakers must have either faculties if a priest (that means they're in union with a bishop) or a letter in good standing from their Ordinary (that's a bishop) if a layman or woman to speak on issues within the Church. What is so shocking about ensuring that those who speak on Church property preach what the Church preaches. When I first saw this policy I said to myself, "well, that's an interesting way to keep Michael Voris out of Toronto's church halls" but then again, the knife cuts both ways. It could keep out many of those whom you fawn over such as the ex-Anglican, Roman Catholic Nun, then married mother and grandmother and now lesbian Anglican priestess who spent most of her career in Toronto corrupting Catholic school children with her heterodox views as we will read about three paragraphs below.

March 17, 2013
Toronto Catholics express their hope for Pope Francis - one word at a time

Blessings, peace, love, reformation, change, equality, gender, sexuality, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I guess she didn't visit the Oratory. Enough said.

March 9, 2013
Catholic parents disgusted with by letter sent from parish priest containing provocative questions.

This matter was dealt with a few weeks ago. I'm disgusted that these people re referred to as "Catholic parents."

March 3, 2013
Former Catholics say rigid church forced them to leave

I could be snarly and say, "don't let the door hit you on the way out" or that "it's okay, the biological solution is fixing the problem" but we really do need to regret this. These Catholics have not been fully formed in the faith. They are protestant in their belief and this is a sad fact for us. Our Pope Benedict XVI wrote of a "smaller church" though it would be "holier" as a result. While this is happening slowly and may come to be more explicitly  it will not be nice. It will be through mass desertion, apostasy and persecution. We are seeing it now in many parts of the world and most shockingly, in the United State of America where even now, Catholics, have been equated on the same level by the U.S. military as the terrorists. Rather, we really don't want a smaller Church, we must want a bigger Church. We must want what Our Lord wanted, that all come to Him to be saved including Joanna Manning and Leslie Scrivener.

On the matter of Scrivener and the Toronto Star, we count four articles on the Catholic Church in just over a month; let us remove for a moment the one on Pope Francis as Scrivener's not responsible for badly catechized Catholics; not one of these is balanced; each is presented as Church bad - subject good. Not one of these columns interviews anyone that is not a dissenter.

Where's the balance? The fact is, the anti-Catholic bigotry of the Ulster of North America has never gone away, the "liberal" founders of this newspaper, notwithstanding.

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Toronto Gaia "Mass" UPDATE

 Confirmation has been received from Chancery officials in Toronto that the Gaia "Mass" at Holy Name Church was "explored by the "appropriate diocesan authorities" as it was clearly, a concern of theirs as well.  The notice on the web page slipped through the radar and it was removed from some time prior to our original post. It also went out to parishes and there is no doubt that many priests took this matter up (as has been confirmed privately). The "event," if you will, will go-ahead. Tickets have been sold. It is clearly not a Mass, but a concert, and we were certainly aware of this fact. However, the fact remains that this composition of sacred liturgical texts and those behind its composition and presentation reveal that this is not sacred music and is anything but appropriate for the liturgy or a Church, even as a concert. that being said, let's take things step-by-step.

It is confirmed, the Blessed Sacrament will be removed from the Church. 

Without bemoaning any further the background of the composers or the suitability of this "Mass" named for a pagan goddess rather than to the glory of the Triune God, the whole matter of concerts in churches is important and needs to be addressed in this and probably many dioceses. 

Under our former Archbishop, Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, there was a policy consistent with that of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. This policy, as far as we are aware, and we are awaiting confirmation, has not been changed in Toronto. Clearly, it is being ignored and not just for this event. Three years ago, Salt + Light and an FM Radio station turned St. Paul's Basilica into a "facility" as the FM announcer referred, with a hefty ticket price for a recorded for broadcast concert by "The Priests" with the attendance of at least one Toronto Auxiliary Bishop, notwithstanding the policy. This is not the first time that the Basilica has been used as a concert hall in violation of the Congregation's directive. 

Below are some of the more salient points to consider. The entire document, Protocol 1257/87 from the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments can be read at Adoremus. It was sent to the presidents of the national conferences of bishops and through them to commissions on Liturgy and sacred art.


In order that the sacred character of a church be conserved in the matter of concerts, the Ordinary can specify that:
a. Requests are to be made in writing, in good time, indicating the date and time of the proposed concert, the programme giving the works and the names of the composers.
b. After having received the authorization of the Ordinary, the rectors and parish priests of the churches should arrange details with the choir and orchestra so that the requisite norms are observed.
c. Entrance to the church must be without payment and open to all.
d. The performers and the audience must be dressed in a manner which is fitting to the sacred character of the place.
e. The musicians and the singers should not be placed in the sanctuary. The greatest respect is to be shown to the altar, the president’s chair and the ambo.
f. The Blessed Sacrament should be, as far as possible, reserved in a side chapel or in another safe and suitably adorned place (cf. C.I.C., can 938, par. 4).
g. The concert should be presented or introduced not only with historical or technical details, but also in a way that fosters a deeper understanding and an interior participation on the part of the listeners.
h. The organizer of the concert shall declare in writing that he accepts legal responsibility for expenses involved, for leaving the church in order, and for any possible damage incurred.
11. The above practical directives should be of assistance to the bishops and rectors of churches in their pastoral responsibility to maintain the sacred character of their churches, designed for sacred celebrations, prayer and silence.
Such indications should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in the art of music.
The treasury of sacred music is a witness to the way in which the Christian faith promotes culture.
By underlining the true value of sacred or religious music, Christian musicians and members of "scholae cantorum" should feel that they are being encouraged to continue this tradition and to keep it alive for the service of the faith, as expressed by the Second Vatican Council in its message to artists:
"Do not hesitate to put your talent at the service of the divine truth. The world in which we live has need of beauty in order not to lose hope. Beauty, like truth, fills the heart with joy. And this, thanks to your hands" (cf. Second Vatican Council, Message to Artists, 8 December 1965).
Rome, 5 November 1987.
Paul Augustine Card. Mayer, O.S.B.
Prefect

Virgilio Noè
Titular Archbishop of Voncaria
Secretary